Wanderlust Read Online Free Page A

stratosphere of arena-size shows. Lex Logan, their own personal Jesus. And the more time that went by without new songs, the more restless everyone became. The record label was making threats, he and the other band members argued nonstop, and his manager was drinking liquid antacid like it was Gatorade.
    “Lex.” He heard Pete’s voice followed by knocking.
    He didn’t open his eyes. “Go away. I’m busy.”
    As usual, his manager didn’t listen. The door swung open.
    “Lex, I need to talk to you for a minute,” Pete said, looking harried. He pulled a rubber band from his pocket and wrangled his unruly salt and pepper hair into ponytail. “What are you doing in here anyway?”
    “Avoiding women who are only after me for my superior screwing skills.”
    Pete snorted. “Yeah, right.”
    Lex sat up and rubbed his palms on his jeans. “I needed a break. I’m over this whole scene tonight. All I want to do is grab a burger and go to the hotel.”
    “Look, you can do that in a little while. The reporter from the
NOLA Vibe
is here to talk to you.”
    “Nick’s here?” Lex smiled. “Awesome. I totally forgot we were doing that thing with him.” Nick Jackson was a high school buddy. Lex hadn’t seen him in more than a year, but he had promised to give Nick a story when Wanderlust came to New Orleans. “He’ll be up for a burger.”
    Pete glanced at the closed door and rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, Nick isn’t here.”
    “What do you mean?” He didn’t like Pete’s tone. He had used that same tone to tell Lex he had one month—four lousy weeks—to finish the songs for the second album.
    “Nick’s in the hospital.”
    Lex shot to his feet, dwarfing Pete. “Holy shit, is he okay?”
    Pete put his hands up, shrinking back. “He’s fine. Exploded appendix, I think, but okay. It’s just that, they’ve sent a replacement reporter.”
    “Thank God he’s all right.” Lex raked his hands through his hair and then registered the second part of Pete’s statement. “Hold on, I don’t need a replacement reporter. The only reason I agreed to the exclusive was because Nick’s my friend. If he’s out, I’m out. You know I don’t have time to do a weeklong deal with some magazine, especially with all this crap going on.”
    Pete approached the mirrors lining the back wall and rested a hip against the counter. “Man, I’m with you. I don’t want some reporter nosing around when you guys are at each other’s throats. The last thing we need is rumors about a breakup leaking out. But we agreed to an exclusive with the magazine, not with Nick. We’re obligated.”
    Lex groaned. “The hell we are. This is supposed to be my mental vacation or whatever, right? Isn’t that what the label suggested? Take a breather, get inspired, pull a few number-one songs outta my ass. How am I supposed to do that with some reporter tagging along?”
    “How were you going to do it with Nick?”
    “Nick’s my buddy. It wouldn’t be like an interview. We’d hang out. He’d be one of the guys, like an honorary band member, no big deal. Plus, I trust him. If I asked him not to put something in a story, he wouldn’t.”
    “Lex, I don’t think there’s a way out of this unless the magazine voluntarily pulls out. You’re going to have to figure out how to make it work.”
    There was a light tap on the door, and both men turned their heads toward it.
    “Come on in,” Pete said.
    The door cracked open and Body Shot Girl stepped in. “Hey, I’m sorry to interrupt, but one of the guys told me I could come back here.”
    Lex’s scowl morphed into a predatory grin as he scanned the sexy visitor. Maybe the night wouldn’t be a total loss. “Hey there, I didn’t think you were going to make it. If you give me just a minute, I’ll be right with you, sweetheart.”
    She frowned and looked to Pete.
    Pete cleared his throat. “Um, Lex, this is Aubrey Bordelon. She’s the reporter from the
NOLA Vibe
.”
    “What?”